The Rift Torn
by Shadic the Hedgehog Author
Summary: One day, Ryan's gaming group stumbled across a hole in dimensions behind his couch. Torn from their home, they travel multiple worlds in an attempt to return home and see their families once again. This is a Massively Multiplayer Crossover
1. Prologue: The Game

Rift-Torn

Prologue: The Game

"Well, that was fun," said Joe, as he put his dice back in his coat pocket. Joe was a boy of just-under-average height, with a just-over-average waist, not that you could tell with his over-sized black trench coat and slightly-too-large red shirt. His brown hair had just recently reached shoulder-length, which he had done so he could put it in a ponytail like his dad's.

"Yeah, I hadn't played DnD before," agreed Shawna. She was an entirely new addition to the group of gamers, as evidenced by her statement. She was just a little taller than Joe, with longer brown hair that was somewhat curly, though not much.

"Well I hope you join us again next time," said the GM, Ryan, as he put his gaming book back on his shelf. Ryan was the tallest in the group with short-cropped dark hair and a larger stomach than Joe's. They did, however, share the same style of facial hair: a moustache with an unconnected beard (referred to in hair-care circles as "Van Dyke" style).

Frank, the second tallest person in the group, nodded, "Yeah, your Rogue was pretty good." Frank was easily the skinniest person there, and he was clean-shaven with spiky blond hair.

The fifth person was silent, not really having anything to contribute. His name was Matt, and he was easily the widest person there, though it was almost entirely muscle. Aside from that, he and Joe could have been brothers.

As Joe put his pencils back into his other pocket, one of them fell out and rolled behind the couch. "Whoops, I'll get it." He moved the couch aside slightly and looked puzzled as he saw no sign of his wayward writing utensil. "That's odd..." he crawled behind the couch and gave a cry of surprise as his hand sunk into the solid floor.

"Joe!" shouted Matt, running to his friend's aid. He shoved the couch out of the way and jumped when he saw the situation.

"What the hell?" swore Frank, then he looked apologetic to Ryan, who was glad his daughters were at their maternal grandmother's house at the time.

Joe tried pulling his arm out, but it wouldn't budge. "Okay... so we seem to have ourselves a one-way invisible hole. I need to see where it leads."

"Don't! If it's one-way, you won't be able to make it back!" Shawna cried.

Joe reached into his coat pocket with his free hand and pulled out his black DSi. "I'm not that dumb, y'know." He awkwardly flipped it open and clicked the "R" button, activating the camera, then switched the view around with the "X" button, and finally pushed the outward-facing camera into the hole, before staring at the lower screen in surprise. "Does anyone else here recognize this place?" he asked, smirking as he moved aside as well as he could.

The scene on the lower screen was a shining white building at the end of a long path, a series of banners along the sides, as people in strange-looking outfits walked the path. Joe's hand was just visible within the camera.

"That's Bevelle from FF Ten!" exclaimed Matt in shock.

"Right, and since this is a one-way hole to another universe, I'd say that I'm supposed to go on a journey to Spira or something. Figures I'd end up in a self-insert fic in a world _other_ than the one I really want to visit."

"But-" began Shawna, but was interrupted as Joe leaned forward and dove into the hole, taking his DSi as he fell into another world.

Everyone froze for a second, before breaking out into panicked chatter, before another voice broke through.

"You guys have to go through, too," said Joe, standing in the kitchen doorway. Something was different about him, besides the fact that he was wearing spiky black armour with a purple cape. "Time travel's a bit peculiar about that sort of thing."

Everyone jumped in surprise, but were given no chance to talk as the new Joe kept on talking. "Oh, and you'll be needing this, Ryan." He handed Ryan the largest Bible on the shelf they stood by, before shooing them into the hole. "Don't worry, we all come out okay on the other end."

Matt and Frank were the first to accept his words, and they jumped in themselves. Ryan cautiously followed after, before Shawna also went in.

"Now it begins, your greatest adventure," Joe mused, glancing at the books on the shelf. "Dungeons and Dragons have nothing on real life, after all..."


	2. And So It Begins

The Rift-torn

Chapter 1: And so it begins.

World: Final Fantasy X

(A/N: If you have the song "The Skies Above," cue it when the music starts in this part)

_Ten Years Later..._

The room was mostly silent, the only light at the moment coming from the stands where the audience sat, then a light came shining down in the middle of the circle of seats. Within the spotlight was a mostly normal-looking grand piano, though to the people watching it was a very exotic instrument. Sitting at the piano was a woman wearing a brown tunic and leggings, with a green cloak that reached the floor. Holding back her long brown hair was a green headband, and at her waist were what appeared to be a pair of large, black rings with a handle going through the middle.

She started playing a haunting melody on the piano, which silenced the audience entirely, save for those few who seemed to recognize the song and whispered even more excitedly to their companions. The woman had her eyes closed as her fingers danced across the keys, as agile as only a Thief's fingers could be.

The music swelled for a moment, before going silent. In the pause, another spotlight shone down on another person. This time, it was a man in spiked, black armour, a face-concealing helmet with even more spikes upon his head. One armoured finger pointed into the air as another held a sword-shaped microphone to his mouth.

"WHAT SAY WE MAKE THIS EPIC?!" he shouted to the audience, who responded with wild cheering.

As a heavy guitar started playing, another spotlight shone, revealing a bearded man in what appeared to be Lupine furs, with a Lupine's head covering his own. Rather than a normal guitar, what he held in his hands was an actual axe with strings attached.

Next to be revealed was a set of drums, with the cymbals looking like the yellow, conical hat of the person playing them. He wore a blue robe and yellow gloves, and all that could be seen of his face under the hat was a pair of brightly glowing yellow eyes, the rest shrouded in darkness.

As the music continued, another light shone down on a man in white robes with a series of red triangles embroidered on the edge, himself playing a summoner's staff that had five strings on it, as opposed to the other "guitar" player's six.

Finally, the armoured man started singing.

"Sparks from the fire rise up to the sky

Higher and higher oh I want to fly

Out of the story this time I'll be free

Wake up for a moment from that dream of me .

Just a legend cold words on a page

Lift up my eyes and I'm soaring away

On silver wings spread out to the sun

I'm leaving this city for the skies above.

O'er the ruins an ancient light

Never lose, never failing

Follow me on my path to the heights

Before the shadows fade into night"

The Dark Knight stepped back as the guitar and bass players started riffing their instruments, bobbing his head in time to the drums. Inexplicably, the piano, as it was playing during this part, was sounding much different from how it had in the beginning, with a more electric feel to it than before.

The guitar, bass, and drums cut out as the Thief playing piano stood up and drew one of her daggers, which suddenly lost the hand guard and became cylindrical in shape. She started blowing across one end, causing a haunting whistling sound as the platform she stood on suddenly lifted into the air, though her spotlight remained on her.

The rest of the players started floating as the drums and guitars started up again, just in time for the vocalist to continue singing.

"Running back but I'm out of time.

I could tell everything

Hear the words that fill my mind

How can I say she was mine?"

The last note was sung long, but faded out as the lead guitar started playing a solo. Once it was done, the Thief returned to her piano, and played the opening again, as all five platforms returned to their positions. The music stopped and the band all bowed to the thunderous applause.

They then returned to their positions before continuing to the next song, which had the audience singing along. The concert, held in the Luca Blitzball Stadium, continued on for a few hours, until the band thanked their audience and the lights turned off again.

In the locker room, the band sat heavily on the benches.

"It never gets any easier, does it?" asked the Dark Knight, chugging a glass of water.

"It'd help if they didn't ask for five encores," muttered the Black Mage, shaking his wrists out.

The Berserker just laughed, "Come on guys, I thought we enjoyed playing music for Spira?"

"Easy for you to say, Matt," retorted the Thief. "You and Joe are the only ones here who had training in what you do before we showed up."

"Calm down, guys," shushed the White Mage. "We still have to deal with all our adoring fans."

"Ugh," groaned Joe, the Dark Knight. "That's the worst part. I hate being famous."

"Be glad you have a helmet," retorted the Berserker, Matt. "Shawna and I have no true anonymity when we wander Spira between gigs."

"Feh, as if that helps," grumbled the Black Mage. "They see us with you, and automatically know who we are. We're just fortunate that the Al Bhed let us stay at Home when we get tired of being adored."

"And here I thought Joe was negative," joked Shawna, the Thief.

Ryan, the White Mage, glanced out the window of the locker room door, "Happy faces on guys, here come the fans."

"I'd rather deal with Fiends any day," said Frank, the Black Mage.

"Just because you're allowed to blow them up," laughed Joe, as the doors opened, and the autograph signing began in earnest.

Finally, another hour later, the five travellers went to the docks, where they secretly boarded an Al Bhed ship, their fans left behind by utilizing the secret passages that Shawna had discovered in the building. They went below decks to a room with a giant map on a table, which was practically covered in "x"s.

"Well, we've been all over Spira," reviewed Ryan. "There's so far only been four places we haven't really checked."

"First, the Omega Dungeon. We haven't looked there, because none of us wants to deal with Malboros or the WEAPONs," continued Frank.

"We also haven't been to the Farplane, due to how zealously the Guado protect it. The furthest we've gone is the platform that shows off the people you know that have died. Thankfully, no one we knew from back home have shown up there," added Joe.

"Zanarkand is off limits because of the massive plot significance, and we don't feel like stealing Yuna's thunder when she finally starts journeying," chimed in Shawna.

"Which leaves us with Baaj Temple," concluded Matt. "It's been ten years since Braska, Jecht, and Auron reset Sin's cycle, so Tidus should be showing up there any time now."

Ryan nodded and turned to Joe, who nodded in turn and walked over to a pipe that led to the bridge.

"Lybdyeh, uin luinca ec cad. Fa'na raytat vun Baaj Temple yd luuntehydac 11-16, 57-63."

"Nukan dryd, cen. Ymcu, fa ryja naleajat y naxiacd vnus Home, ycgehk dryd fa pnehk Rikku yht Brother fedr ic."

"Dryd'c veha, lybdyeh, fa'ja fyedat dah oaync du kad pylg du uin funmt, fa lyh fyed y vaf suna tyoc." Joe smirked as he returned to the table with the map.

"What's the look for?" asked Matt.

Frank replied for Joe, "I overheard three words in that conversation all of us should be able to understand: 'Home,' 'Rikku,' and 'Brother.' I'm guessing we're going to pick them up?"

"Got it in one. Looks like we've finally hit the start of Final Fantasy X proper."


	3. Baaj Ruins

The Rift-torn

Chapter 2: Baaj Ruins

World: Final Fantasy X

After a few days of travel on the open sea, the Al Bhed ship _Kelvin_ had reached Home and the five stepped on deck to greet Rikku and Brother as they came on board. Rikku gave Shawna a big hug. Oddly enough, Joe had gotten on well with Brother, and they high-fived before joining with the rest of the crew in moving salvaged goods off the ship, and fresh supplies on board.

The team of five were no longer wearing their adventuring clothes, which they wore when performing, but instead were wearing clothes that were a mix between the Al Bhed gear and clothes they had worn from Earth ten years ago. Cid was probably the only person on all of Spira aside from the rift-torn individuals to know their true origins, though the rest of the Al Bhed at least knew they were from a different world and were trying to get back home.

Joe was the relay between those Al Bhed who couldn't speak Spiran and the rest of his team-mates, as he was able to speak it haltingly before ever arriving on Spira. Unfortunately, any attempts to teach the others tended to fall through, though they still managed to learn how to read it. Rikku and Brother had learned Spiran from Joe, though it surprised his students at how easy it was to translate, despite Brother not being able to speak it well yet.

After the changing of supplies, which included giving Cid some of the proceeds from the concert, the _Kelvin_ left port once again, this time heading for the coordinates given for Baaj Temple. It was a long journey of five days, with the occasional stop to check out some ruins on the ocean floor. Frank and Matt liked to join in the exploration, as well as Shawna on occasion, but Joe and Ryan almost never went under.

Finally, the proper coordinates were reached, and everyone suited up for exploration. This put our main characters back in their adventuring clothes and armour, before they prepared to enter the main chamber. The big doors were stuck, but they could hear the sounds of battle on the other side, one high-pitched male voice, and the screeches of a Fiend reaching through.

Rikku glanced at Ryan, the current expedition head, and he nodded sharply, allowing her to set up a series of bombs that had been brought along in case of obstacles. Everyone stepped back as they exploded, before we charged in.

There, holding a hook-sword, was the blond image of Tidus. In front of him, temporarily distracted by the explosion, was a giant bladed insect Fiend, which was called the Klikk.

Rikku and Shawna dashed in to steal from the Klikk, coming back with six Grenades each, and they were quickly followed up by a Firaga from Frank that the Fiend nearly died against. It was then finished off when Matt and Joe cut it to pieces with their axe and sword, respectively.

The Klikk faded away into Pyreflies, and Tidus wiped his brow, letting his sword hit the ground.

"Whew! That was a close one!" One of the Al Bhed explorers then came up behind him and grabbed him by the hair. "Ow, hey! Lemme go!" Then the rest of the team surrounded him, save for Rikku and the five.

"Fryd ec dryc?" asked one.

"Y **Fiend**! Eh risyh teckieca!"

"Rumt ed! Dryd puo ec hud y **Fiend**!" shouted Joe, before giving a command. "Ra ec bynd uv dra naycuh fa ryja lusa rana. Dyga res du dra creb, fa crymm aqbmuna dra niehc vun y **Rift** uincamjac."

"Oac, cen," replied the explorer, before hitting Tidus on the back of the neck and knocking him out. They then dragged him off to the _Kelvin_, though they didn't seem to care if he hit anything on the way.

Ryan's group spent the next hour searching every point in Baaj that we could reach, leaving out only Anima's Chamber of Fayth, because we hadn't activated any of the Destruction Spheres in the Temple Puzzles. After failing to find any sort of Rift in the ruins left by Sin, they returned to the _Kelvin_ and set back out for sea. One of the ruins the team had explored on the way to Baaj apparently had something in it that warranted further exploration.

As the ship neared the site, Tidus was just beginning to wake up. Unfortunately, the guard that had been left with him was the rude, trigger-happy fellow that had accused him of being a Fiend, but, thankfully, Frank, Joe, Brother, and Rikku quickly interrupted his attempts to beat Tidus into submission.

"Caynlr res!" he reared back with his rifle.

"Dryd'c ahuikr!" commanded Joe. "E'mm pa dymgehk du **Cid** ypuid drec, tu oui ihtancdyht?"

"Oac. Cen," bit out the man, before heading back below deck.

Brother approached Tidus, and started pantomiming swimming. "Lyh oui rumt ouin pnaydr vun y muhk desa frema cfessehk?"

"Sorry, what was that?" replied Tidus.

"Spiran, Brother," said Frank, admonishingly.

"Sorry. I ask if you swim and hold breath well," said Brother, in his stilted Spiran.

"Yeah! You're looking at the star player of the Zanarkand Abes!"

"Zanarkand Abes?" asked Rikku.

"Rikku, we don't have much time to dilly-dally, Sin could come at any moment. Especially on the high seas," Joe warned.

"Right, right. Anyway, we found these ruins that are directly beneath us right now. They're not active, but there's some still some power that we can use to activate it. I'm the only one on the _Kelvin_ that can last long under water, especially if there's fighting, other than the bosses, and only Matt would be of any real use underwater."

"Thanks, Rikku," retorted Frank.

"Most of your spells don't function right underwater, you know that, bro," Joe returned.

Rikku shushed the two before turning back to Tidus. "Anywho, what we need you for is to accompany Matt and I down into the ruins, activate the power, and then we can get the big prize! Sound good?"

"So, what's in it for me?" asked Tidus.

"You help us, you stay on _Kelvin_ and get food. You not help us, and you swim back where you found," threatened Brother.

"You need to work on those sentences, Brother," Joe said. "You sound like a barbarian."

"I take offence to that!" exclaimed Matt, as he strolled onto the deck.

"You're a Berserker, not a barbarian. We've been over this."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. The kid ready to go?" Everyone looked at Tidus, who began to sweat.

"W-well, what choice to I have?" he stammered. "I guess I'll be helping you out!"

"Good to have you on the team!" laughed Matt, slapping him on the back heartily, which sent Tidus face-first onto the deck. "Oops."

After that miniature fiasco, Matt and Rikku suited up for their underwater excursion (meaning Rikku put her goggles on, and Matt re-equipped his Berserker outfit) before dragging Tidus to the side of the ship and shoving him overboard. After he sputtered for a bit, they joined him, Rikku slipping under the water like a dolphin, while Matt dropped in like a cannonball.

They swam straight down for a while, until they came to the dark shadows of the ruins. There were some panels that were still glowing slightly, their blue light adding a chilling pallor to the surroundings. Tidus quickly swam up to the controls for the door that was closed in front of them, marvelling at how similar the tech in the ruin was similar to the everyday stuff "back home."

They swam down the hallway behind the door, until they came to another one. Tidus used the control panel to open that one as well, when they were ambushed by a school of Fiend-fish called, quite appropriately, Piranha.

Tidus drew his sword out from behind him, while Matt pulled his massive battleaxe of his shoulder. Rikku already had her claw-like weapons attached as they all swam in to attack the Piranha. Thankfully, Fiend-fish weren't like normal schools of fish, and killing one killed an small portion of the entire school. Matt destroyed a third of the school with one swing, while Tidus used two attacks to take one out and Rikku stole a pair of Grenades from the other third, before Matt and Tidus rushed in to Overkill the Piranha.

In the room beyond, was a slightly glowing crystal, similar to the Power Crystals of Zanarkand that Tidus learned about in school (not that he ever really paid much attention). Not having much technical expertise, he simply swam up to the generator and pounded on it a couple of times. Thankfully, all the Power Crystal needed was some percussive maintenance to shift back into place, and soon the power came back on.

And that's when Tros appeared. Tros was a large cephalopodic Fiend, similar in some ways to the Nautilus from Earth, save that it had a rounded shell instead of a pointed one. It swam in through the main entrance just as the divers attempted to leave, blocking off their entrance with its waving tentacles.

Once again, the three of them drew their weapons and swam into action. Matt quickly directed Rikku to swim to the other side of Tros, while he and Tidus attacked its face. She knew her role in most combat situations was to steal until she could no longer find anything to steal, then use any offensive items she had that weren't immensely valuable.

After Rikku and Tidus stole and roughed it up enough, Matt brought down his massive axe into the shell of the Fiend, practically splitting it in two. The remains of Tros spasmed for a few seconds, before it dissolved into water and Pyreflies, freeing up the entrance for the dive team to leave through. As they exited, the ruins now completely lit, Rikku and Matt made note of a shape very close by that resembled the tales of a ship that could fly through the air.

An airship. Lost technology from the time before Sin. The trio swam back to the _Kelvin_ as quickly as they could. Tidus, because he was getting hungry and wanted to eat, while the other two were going to report the discovery to the rest of the crew and send a communiqué to Cid, who had been waiting for word from the other-worlders about the airship.

Tidus dragged himself onto the deck, where Ryan, Frank, Joe, and Shawna sat, two extra trays of Al Bhed cuisine sat beside them, another four already stacked up and empty.

"Rikku, would you mind sending the report to Cid without us?" asked Ryan. "We would like to speak with our friend here."

"Nikan!" Rikku chirped, slipping back into Al Bhed for a moment, before she skipped below deck to write up and transmit the findings of the airship and what coordinates it was found at.

Tidus sat down beside Matt, who was already snarfing down his food like a rabid wolf.

"So... Uh... Whadja wanna talk about?" asked Tidus nervously.

"Let's start with the basics," said Ryan. "Such as your name and how you came to be in the Baaj Temple Ruins, where we found you."

Ryan didn't really have to ask, as he and the rest of the team already knew Tidus's story, but they needed to actually hear it before they could start using it. Frank, Matt, and Joe grimaced noticeably when Tidus pronounced his name with a long "i", but Tidus was too caught up in talking about Zanarkand and Blitzball that he didn't notice.

As his story drew to a close, he noticed that Rikku had joined them just in time for the end of the attack of Sin, and Auron drawing him up into the monstrosity. She had a kind-of-sad/kind-of-confused look on her face near the end.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Well, you were really close to Sin, right?"

"Yeah."

"They say your head gets kind of funny if you get too close to Sin Some kind of toxin or something."

"So you're saying I'm sick or something?"

"It is difficult to believe," drawled Joe. "After all, Zanarkand was destroyed a thousand years ago in the Bevelle/Zanarkand War because of Sin. So there's no Zanarkand Abes, and no Blitzball stadium to play in."

Tidus turned as white as a sheet. "Wh-what?! A thousand years ago?! But I was there! I _saw_ Sin attack Zanarkand!"

"Maybe you did, maybe you didn't. It's all a part of Sin's Toxin," said Frank, a small smirk on his face. Rikku, on the other hand, looked a bit thoughtful.

"You said you play Blitzball... Maybe if we take you to Luca, you'll meet someone you recognize and get your memories back! Luca has the only stadium in Spira, you know!"

"Luca? But we just left there a week ago! There might still be some fans hanging around!" groaned Shawna. Ryan looked pointedly at her. "Alright, alright. We'll go."

Matt looked over at the blond boy he had fought beside and said, "Oh, and don't say you're from Zanarkand. The place is considered holy ground these days, so you might upset one of the Yevonites."

"The whosi-whatsits?" Tidus looked bewildered, when suddenly the ship started shaking.

Several people came rushing onto the deck, one of whom pulled out a telescoping telescope and looked out at the sea.

"**SIN**! **SIN** RYC LUSA!" The ship began to pitch harder. Matt, who had not changed out from his Berserker outfit, pulled out his axe and slammed it into the deck. Everyone nearby grabbed the handle, except for Tidus, who fell closer to the water as the _Kelvin_ shook hard enough that it seemed it was going to fall to pieces.

"**SIN** RYC KUHA PAHAYDR IC! PNYLA VUN ESBYLD!"

Tidus fell into the water, and suddenly, the sea calmed, returning the _Kelvin_ to normal.

Calmly, Joe looked over to the captain. "Lybdyeh. Dyga ic du **Luca**. Fa ryja y **Blitzball** duinhysahd du yddaht." He turned to Rikku. "Yht tuh'd funno ypuid dra puo. Fa'mm caa res drana."


	4. Kilika

The Rift-torn

Chapter 3: Kilika

World: Final Fantasy X

About a day (or so it seemed) after the "rescue" of Tidus, and him getting knocked off the Al Bhed ship, he found himself travelling with a Summoner and her Guardians. The Summoner's name was Yuna, and he'd just had it explained by one of her Guardians, Wakka, that her father was the last one to defeat Sin, and she, herself, had dropped a big one on him by implying that his own father, Jecht, had come to Spira at the same time that Tidus had thought he died.

They had been travelling by boat to a city called "Kilika," where Yuna was going to get her second "Aeon." Tidus had been fairly impressed by the giant bird called Valefor, and its destructive power that required everyone to get off the battlefield or risk getting killed.

Then Sin showed up again.

They tried to stop it, as it was heading for Kilika, and nobody wanted to see what friends and loved ones they had there die from the destroyer's wrath. But they had failed. Kilika was in ruin, and there were bodies everywhere. Yuna had just approached a group of people who were gathering the dead, one of which looked slightly familiar to Tidus, but he couldn't quite place him, for some reason.

"Greetings, I am Summoner Yuna. I have come from the Temple of Besaid," she introduced herself.

"Oh, M'lady Summoner!" gasped one of the people in the group. The oddly familiar one stopped and looked up at her.

"If there is no other Summoner here, please allow me to perform the Sending."

"There is another Summoner here. But who's to say the Sending cannot be performed by multiple Summoners, hm?" replied the familiar man.

_Gah... Why does he look and sound so familiar...?_ thought Tidus, mentally straining to remember. He got as far as something about a ship at sea before he was broken out of his reverie.

"Oh! And who might you be, sir?"

"Come, I shall introduce myself on the way." And he lead Yuna and the townsfolk away, carrying some of the gathered dead himself, and refusing to let Yuna help with the task.

Wakka and the Aurochs, his Blitzball team, ran off into town to see if they could help with anything, before Tidus noticed that the other members of his group had left after Yuna without him. He ran along to catch up, and stopped by Lulu, a busty woman with pale skin and a dress impossibly made out of belts.

"So, uh, what's a Sending? We going somewhere?" Tidus asked, curiously.

Lulu levelled a half-glare at him. "Are you sure it's your memory that has a problem? The-"

"The Sending is a sacred ritual. The dead of Spira have trouble finding their way to their new home in the Farplane, and tend to get jealous of the living they see around them," explained a man that stood near her. Like the Summoner that had accompanied Yuna, this man caused a niggling in the back of Tidus's mind. "This jealousy turns them into Fiends, which allows them to attack the living, in an attempt to make them join them in their rotten afterlife. Tch." He glanced to Yuna and the other Summoner. "Looks like they're ready to start."

The man was suddenly wearing a set of familiar robes, though Tidus still couldn't place where he had seen them before. He was becoming very annoyed by the whole thing. The robes were stark white, except for a series of large red triangles embroidered along the edge. In his hands was a staff similar to Yuna's but more compact in a way. He held it oddly, with the circle Tidus was sure was the top by his right hand at his waist, while his left held the shaft near the bottom at his head, five strings of varying thickness appearing across the staff.

Lulu sucked in a breath as she recognized the man and the way he held the staff, as four other people, including the one who had explained Fiends to Tidus, stood behind him. The Summoner nodded to Yuna, who started walking out onto the water – _She's walking on water?_ Thought Tidus – and the man started plucking at the strings on his staff, creating a strange, musical sound.

Then everyone started singing a very haunting melody as the man played and Yuna danced on the water.

_Ieyui_

_Nobomeno_

_Re-enmiri_

_Yojuyogo_

The song was sung in a kind of round, as the women sung the first verse, then were joined by the men. Tidus, however, was barely paying attention to this as he saw Yuna's Sending dance. As the music crescendoed, the water under Yuna's feet rose in a pillar as little spheres of light with strange, rainbow streamers flew off into the sky.

_Hasatekanae_

_Kutamae_

The second verse was sung by all of them, before being echoed by the men alone. As the music died down, the water descended, and Yuna seemed exhausted. The man who was playing music with his staff seemed tired as well, though not nearly as bad as Yuna. Then he, his companions behind him (except the one who had spoken to Tidus before), and even a few of the townsfolk, did something that surprised Tidus.

They raised their right hands and touched their foreheads, before bringing them down to their hearts, then across the shoulders, left to right, while muttering something Tidus couldn't hear. The summoner then began to speak.

"To the departed whom we now remember, may peace and bliss be granted in life eternal. May they find grace and mercy before the Lord of heaven and earth. May their souls rejoice in the ineffable good which God has laid up for those who fear Him, and may their memory be a blessing unto those who treasure it. Amen."

The last word was echoed by the others, and then they repeated their hand movements. Tidus was confused by the gesture, but Lulu was seething.

"You..." she growled, taking Tidus aback as she stalked towards the group of five. "How dare you take part in this sacred ritual with your heretic ways!"

The man turned towards Lulu, and, eyebrow raised, said "And hello to you as well. Do you always introduce yourself so caustically?"

She jabbed her finger in the man's face. "You and your guardians were declared forsaken by Yevon for abandoning your pilgrimage at the very gates of Zanarkand AND for this mockery of a religion you have spread."

"We all have a right to our own ways, milady," said one of the man's apparent Guardians, the only woman in the group. "And if others wish to follow our example, who are we to argue?"

"Besides," began one of the guys, hands intertwined behind his head, "I always hated that title 'forsaken.' I mean, come on, at least you can refer to us by our band name, if nothing else."

"Joe," reprimanded the Summoner.

"Sorry. Just sayin'."

"In any case, miss, we explained our actions at Zanarkand. It is not us who will be chosen to defeat Sin, but another, and so we must not interfere too greatly with their story when it comes time for them to tell it."

"Heretic nonsense," Lulu spat, then she practically glided away, the crowd parting before her like a wave.

Tidus stood there, confused by Lulu's actions and by the man's words. Yuna started for the "heretic" Summoner, as if to ask him what Lulu was talking about, when Kimahri, Yuna's large, silent, Ronso bodyguard stood in her way.

The Summoner merely smiled a bitter smile at the Ronso before turning to his Guardians, who nodded with him, and they walked away, further into town. Tidus walked up to Yuna slowly, but slowed his pace even further when Kimahri glared at him.

"So... Being a summoner must be... tough?"

"It is, but... I know what it means to be a summoner, and I will stick with it to the very end," Yuna smiled. "And when Sin is defeated, the people of Spira can live happily again."

Tidus and Yuna's party then travelled to the inn, where they were allowed to rest. Lulu was already there, and wasn't saying anything to anyone other than Yuna, whom she congratulated on her first Sending, though she was still very critical.

Elsewhere...

"Well that didn't go right," sighed Joe, as he sat on on the floor of their bedroom in the Al Bhed ship they had arrived at Kilika on.

"Understatement of the month," snorted Matt, who was laying in a hammock above him. "I guess it was too big a hope to think Lulu and Wakka wouldn't think anything of us."

"Should we stick around and try to help out some more? Or are we going straight to Luca?" asked Shawna, leaning by the door, as she slept in a different room.

"Hmm. I think we should stick around for a little while longer, at least. We know there's going to be a Sinspawn on the path to Kilika Temple, and Yuna's group might need some help with it," said Ryan, who was also sitting on the floor.

"Too bad the people of Kilika didn't listen to our warning about Sin," muttered Frank, copying Matt's pose in his own hammock. "But who's going to listen to the heretic forsaken of Yevon, especially when we come riding in on an Al Bhed ship?"

"Okay, you have a point," grumbled Joe. "But, I guess we couldn't help it. Shall we turn in for the night?"

"Well, if I'm remembering right – and it's been ten years, so I can't be sure – Yuna's crew are going to be spending the night in Kilika proper, then be on their way to the-" Matt yawned loudly, "Temple." Everyone laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes," said Ryan, and everyone moved out to prepare for bed.

The next morning, Tidus and Wakka met Yuna and Lulu at the gate to Kilika Forest, the path going through it leading to Kilika Temple. Tidus was surprised at Yuna's request to become her Guardian, and Wakka tried to argue against it, annoying him. In the end, they decided to put the decision off until after they reached the Temple. Kimahri joined them as they entered, as silent as ever, and they took the direct route until they were stopped by two members of the Crusaders. Behind them was a large red plant-like thing.

"Hold!" called one.

"This Fiend before us is Ochu, called the Lord of the Wood! We've been having a lot of trouble with it, so remember that discretion is the better part of valour!" continued the other.

"Ah, but sometimes, valour carries a reward all its own!" cried a voice in the trees, and a group of people, whom Tidus recognized as the vaguely familiar people from Kilika, jumped out behind the Crusaders. They were all wearing something different than what Tidus had last seen them in, except for the Summoner.

"Alright, we've been waiting for you to come out into the open again, Lord Ochu!" called Joe, pointing at the sleeping Fiend.

"Joe, quit it with the theatrics and let's just kill the damn thing," scolded Matt, large battle axe in hand.

As they argued, Frank rolled his eyes (not that one could tell when they were just dots of yellow light) and cast Firaga. Lord Ochu burned, but didn't quite die yet.

"Hmph, tough bastard," Frank muttered. "He shouldn't be able to stand up to a full-powered Firaga, though..."

"Well, you know what Flynn said in Tron," commented Joe. "'On the other side of the screen it all looks so easy!'" And as he spoke the last word, he sliced his sword into Lord Ochu, waking the Fiend up with a shriek of rage.

Matt roared in response and charged in with his axe as Shawna flew in and stole a Remedy as she cut it with her twin daggers. Ryan stood back, watching, as he had no real combat skills except for his Aeons, which would be overkill in this simple battle.

Matt's axe cut off one of Lord Ochu's large vine-tentacles as Shawna jumped back to hand the Remedy she had stolen to Ryan. Joe cut a large chunk off the plant monster's side just in time for Frank to throw another Firaga at it, this time destroying it, the Pyreflies it was composed of flying off into the woods. They knew it would probably be back eventually, as it had done so before.

"So that's the power of a Summoner and his Guardians, huh?" remarked the first Crusader.

"Don't you recognize them?" snapped Lulu.

"What? Yeah, they've visited Kilika every once in a while and help us with monsters like that. Not to mention their concerts are _amazing_!"

Lulu growled and shoved past them all, the "forsaken" moving aside to allow her passage. Wakka looked slightly confused at first, until he realized who they were and he hunched his shoulders and walked by himself.

Yuna looked slightly confused at her Guardians' behavior, but followed, Kimahri moving after like a shadow. Tidus shrugged, deciding that the feeling he should know these people was too much trouble to deal with at the time and ran after Yuna, only to be matched by them.

"So, how's the whole 'Sin's toxin' thing coming along for you?" asked Joe.

"I'm sorry, what? Do I know you?" Tidus replied.

"Heh, looks like there's some truth to the toxin after all!" laughed Matt, causing Tidus to look at him.

"Wait! I do recognize you! Me, you, and Rikku went into that underwater ruin together!"

"So you remember Rikku and Matt, but not the rest of us?" said Frank, invisible eyebrow raised.

"Might've been because he spent more time with them than the rest of us," nodded Ryan, as they reached the stone stairs leading up to Kilika Temple. Yuna's party stood at the bottom still, waiting for Tidus to catch up.

Wakka decided he would ignore Ryan's group for now as he turned to Tidus to explain something.

"These steps have a history, y'know?" He started. "Lord Ohalland trained on these steps in his prime as a Blitzball player."

The Aurochs were off to the side, stretching, until they lined up at the bottom of the steps, chuckling.

"You wanna race?" smirked Tidus. "Think you can beat me?"

Wakka smirked in return, though it soured slightly as Matt joined the line. He continued to ignore Ryan's Guardian as he asked Yuna to give them a starting countdown.

Yuna smiled and raised her hand, "Ready? Set?" She started running up the stairs before shouting back. "GO!"

"Hey!" protested the Aurochs, Wakka, and Tidus, as Matt took off like a shot, laughing the whole way up.

And then the screams started. The regular Aurochs ran back down the steps, one of them shouting about Sinspawn. Ryan and company followed Lulu and Kimahri as they followed the others up the stairs. There, they were met by _two_ Sinspawn, classified as "Geneaux"-types.

"Lady Yuna!" Ryan shouted.

"Yes, Lord Ryan?" she replied, worried expression on her face. Lulu hissed at her not to call him that, but was ignored due to the situation before them.

"We'll take this one, your Guardians can have the other!"

"Right!" And, so divided, the battle began.

As each group approached their Sinspawn, a bunch of tentacles shot out of the ground behind them. Rather than the two tentacles per Sinspawn, as depicted in the game of the world they were on, there were four each, all as thick as a tree trunk.

Matt wasted no time and activated his only special ability as a Berserker other than to go berserk himself: Total Assault. Total Assault is a technique that, normally, grants your entire party the "Berserk," "Haste," and "Protect" statuses, but Matt had become proficient enough in its use that he could confine the effects to a select group. Namely, himself and Joe.

As the two of them glowed a furious red, which was brighter than normal due to the combined effects of Berserk and Haste, they roared a challenge at the tentacles, charging in with their weapons swinging. Frank started blasting another tentacle with a Flare spell, knowing that Sin's Spawn were stronger than most Fiends, and it took two Firaga to take out Lord Ochu, who was stronger than common Fiends.

Shawna kept her distance, distracting and dodging the tentacles to keep them off the others, while Ryan stood prepared to cast any level of Cure spell that might be necessary. As Frank incinerated his tentacle, Matt and Joe had managed to slice through their two, leaving just one that all of them, plus Shawna, attacked together, destroying it.

With its tentacles gone, the shelled Fiend opened up with a hiss/roar that reminded Joe of the Jurassic Park Tyrannosaurus Rex. Ryan, not having had to use any of his spells yet, made a quick decision.

"Alright, I've had my Overdrive ready for weeks now, so I'm going to use it. Any objections?"

Frank shook his head and put away his Black Mage's rod, while Shawna tossed a Remedy on Joe and Matt to get rid of Berserk. They had no objections either, and stood back as Ryan was surrounded by a glowing blue circle.

"Ah, he's using Grand Summon," commented Joe.

"Well, we didn't take much damage, so there wouldn't be much point in using his other one," replied Shawna.

"Good point."

Ryan's circle changed colours as he chanted, which was his chosen way to summon, into a dark reddish-brown.

"I call upon the ruler of hellfire and master of destruction! With my concentrated power, I grant you grand strength! Burn! I summon thee! IFRIT!" With that final cry, Ryan thrust his hand down, slapping the ground. The reddish-brown circle at his feet glowed brighter, until it was a burning red, before the ground exploded open, Ifrit coming out with a roar of rage and power. Ryan was tossed into the air as well, but Ifrit caught him as he fell and set him on the ground before facing the Sinspawn properly.

"You know what to do," Ryan said. Ifrit nodded and snorted, before jumping into the air, preparing to use his Hellfire Overdrive.

Ifrit created two spheres of fire in each hand, before throwing them down at Sinspawn Geneaux, then followed that up with a fireball from his mouth. As the Sinspawn exploded and was tossed into the air, Ifrit hit the ground and ripped a chunk of the stairs up to throw at it, crushing the monster and turning it back into Pyreflies before it could land.

"Thank you," said Ryan, shaking hands with the Aeon before it, too, dissipated into Pyreflies, which headed straight for the Temple they were going to.

Just as Ifrit left, and the battle was won, Valefor came shooting out of the sky. There were still two tentacles in Yuna's fight, though one looked pretty ragged. Apparently, Yuna decided to copy Ryan and had summoned her only Aeon.

"Should we...?" started Shawna.

"No," said Frank. "If they do not fight their own battles from time to time, they will never grow stronger, or together."

"Indeed," agreed Ryan. They watched as Valefor cast its own Overdrive, which destroyed the remaining tentacles, and then it turned to the revealed Sinspawn and started pecking away at it as the Fiend blasted it with Water and a technique called "Venom," which had little effect due to the fact that most Aeons were immune to most negative status effects.

As the battle raged on, the Victory Fanfare started playing.

"Couldn't have waited until it was thematically appropriate..." grumbled Joe as he reached into his armour to pull out a phone. "Oayr, fryd ec ed?"

A muffled voice came over the other end. "E caa... Oayr. Ku uh fedruid ic, fa'mm dyga dra **Spira**h creb du **Luca** fedr Myto **Yuna**'c knuib. Nekrd. Tuh'd vunkad fa'mm haat y ceqdr. Ur? Ymnekrd. Poa." Joe hung up the phone and tucked it away again.

"What was that about?" asked Matt.

"Cid's recalled the _Kelvin_ back to Home. We'll have to go to Luca with a regular Spiran vessel."

"That all?" asked Frank.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"What about...?" started Shawna.

"The _Centigrade_ will be there, and our sixth will be on board. I just hope they don't pull that kidnapping crap while we're playing."

"Look, they're just about done now," Matt pointed to Yuna's battle. Valefor had been dismissed or killed (they weren't sure which), and Tidus was jumping in to deliver the final blow. As the hit landed, the Sinspawn Geneaux launched Tidus back with a Venom attack before it dissolved into Pyreflies. He turned a startling shade of green as he leaned over, feeling as though he was going to throw up if he so much as took a step.

"Poisona," cast Ryan, waving his staff over Tidus. Instantly, the green colour faded and he stood back up.

"Thanks," nodded Tidus, before asking everyone. "So what were those things, anyways?"

"Sinspawn," Wakka answered. "They're a special kind of Fiend that come directly offa Sin, an' if ya don't kill 'em fast enough, Sin comes back for 'em."

"Which is why it's important to explore everywhere in an area that Sin has recently attacked," concluded Shawna.

Lulu had apparently decided she had enough of the party, as she chose then to speak up.

"Why were you heading to Kilika Temple? Obviously you already have the Aeon." Despite the some-what congenial words, Lulu's acid tone showed her continued animosity.

Ryan shrugged it off as he had before and replied, "We will be heading to Luca soon, and Frank wanted to pray for a good game of Blitzball while we were there."

Frank nodded, "Yeah, I'm the only one in this group who still comes to the temples like this to pray."

"Well, I guess that's as good a reason as any, ya?" smiled Wakka. Joe could almost see him thinking: "If they like Blitzball they can't be all bad." So decided, they continued on their way up.

As they walked, Ryan spoke up, "The ferry to Luca won't be leaving for a good while since Sin attacked. When Frank is done praying we'll probably return to town to continue helping with the clean-up."

"Got it" "Right." "Yeah." "Understood." replied his guardians. As they continued up the stairs, Yuna managed to somehow manoeuvre herself over to the other summoner's party without Lulu or Wakka noticing. Kihmari saw, but knew that, thanks to her strong will, she'd talk to them eventually, and decided to let her see what kind of people they were.

Yuna looked at the person standing closest to her. "So, what's this 'heretic' thing that Lulu was talking about?" she whispered.

Joe glanced at the mentioned Black Mage, before whispering back. "About a year and a half after the end of the last Calm, Ryan and us decided to try going on the Pilgrimage. We had a rather uneventful journey up until we got to the far side of Mount Gagazet."

"What happened then?"

"We got a message from the Lord, who told us that it was not our destiny to defeat Sin, but that of another. The summoner, He said, was to be accompanied by a dream and a man of the past, and it was our task to defend them."

"The Lord? Do you mean Yevon?"

"No." Yuna was taken aback by the harshness of the word. "We have never truly followed Yu Yevon in anything, though we did pretend to for a while. When we speak of the Lord, we speak of the Creator who made all things. He made the planet, the animals, the plants, and then He made us, humans, in His own image."

"Even the Al Bhed?"

"Even them, as they are just as human as anyone here besides Kihmari. No offence, big guy. You're awesome."

Yuna blinked as Joe redirected his response to Kihmari who looked surprised (not that most people could tell) at being included.

"So, now you've been labelled as heretics because you follow a different religion?"

"It's even an incorrect label, since we weren't Yevonites to begin with." Joe then thought about the other reasons: that they "consorted" with the Al Bhed, and even taught their religion to them and other Spirans.

Yuna looked thoughtful, then turned back as she thought of another question. "Last night, you said something about a 'band name.' What did you mean?"

"We're musicians, something we picked up through the experiment of a friend of ours back at Home. We play a radically new kind of music that Spira's never seen before and have become equally famous and infamous across the map. Famous with the younger generations and those who are willing to look past our mislabelling, and infamous with the older generation and those who are severely uptight about Yevon's laws, like Miss Lulu."

"And the name?"

"We're called the Vanguard, a word that basically means a group of people who stand at the front lines to prevent others from getting hurt." Joe frowned and looked thoughtful. "At least, I think it does..."

Yuna giggled, which drew Lulu's attention. But before she could say anything, the combined group reached the top of the stairs, and they were approached by a trio from the Luca Goers.

"You here to pray for victory, too?" asked Wakka.

The Goers laughed. "Us? Pray?" sneered one of them.

"Who needs to pray? The Luca Goers ALWAYS win!" added one of his team-mates.

"Oh, yeah? Then why are you here?" Wakka returned.

"We've been praying for some competition this year!" added the third.

"And you're gonna get it, too!" interjected Frank.

"Oh?"

"From what I hear, the Aurochs and the Psyches have some new star players this year!"

"The Psyches may be a minor challenge, sure, but the Aurochs? HA! All they ever do is 'try their best,' but their best is no good!"

"Hey!" interrupted Tidus. "This year, we play to win!"

"Play away! Just remember that even kids can play!" And with that parting shot, the three Goers went down the stairs.

"Ya? Well, we'll be seeing you in the finals!" Wakka shouted after them.

"We'll beat them. We have to!" growled Tidus.

"Do you know them?" asked Yuna.

"Putting people down... They're as bad as my old man..."

"But, Sir Jecht was always so kind and gentle."

"Not my Jecht."

And with that, Tidus walked off, his face cloudy and pensive. With a shrug, Wakka followed after him, entering the temple. Frank followed after, with Yuna and the rest of her Guardians following them, the rest of the Vanguard staying outside.

"So, how long should we wait for Frank?" asked Joe.

"I'd say we wait until Dona and Barthello come out," replied Matt. "I mean, Barthello might force Frank to take the trials as well."

Ryan chuckled, "Well, if that's the case they'll have an easy go at it, since we've done it before."

Meanwhile, in the temple, Frank and Tidus were, in fact, being man-handled by Barthello.

"Hey! Wait!" protested Tidus. "Let me go!"

"Dammit," swore Frank, "I told you, I'm not one of Yuna's Guardians!" Barthello ignored both of them as he tossed them onto the temple's elevator-like platform.

"What's the big idea?"

Dona smirked as the platform began to descend. "Just a little game..."

As soon as Dona was out of sight, Tidus began to pace around. "This is bad, really bad..."

"Oh, calm down," chided Frank. "I went through here before. With Ryan, remember? I know what we need to do to get to the Chamber of the Fayth." Frank held up his staff and concentrated, turning it into a small glassy sphere with greenish light shining from within, his Black Mage garb flowing off of him and into the sphere afterwards. He pocketed the sphere as they stepped off the platform.

"What was that?"

"It's called a Dress Sphere. One of our friends invented it and we agreed to be guinea pigs for him."

"...And what's a guinea pig?"

"A person, animal, or object that's used for experimentation." While they spoke, Frank was leading Tidus through the Cloister of Trials, though he had to stop every once in a while to remember where a particular Kilika Sphere was supposed to go. Also, unlike the last time Frank had been through, Frank remembered to use the Destruction Sphere and open the chest behind the wall.

Finally, they made it to the Chamber of Fayth's elevator platform and went down. Yuna's Guardians all jumped in surprised.

"Before you jump to conclusions," started Frank, "it's not our fault we're here."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" growled Lulu.

"It was Dona and her big musclehead," explained Tidus. "He grabbed us both and tossed us down here."

"We tried explaining that we weren't Yuna's Guardians, but he wouldn't listen and Dona just told us she was playing a game with us," concluded Frank.

Lulu crossed her arms, "Yuna will be the one to suffer the consequences!"

"What consequences?" asked Tidus.

"She could be excommunicated!" snapped Wakka.

"For what _Dona and Barthello_ did?" replied an incredulous Frank. Lulu just glared at him and turned away, while Wakka shrugged and looked thoughtful. Kihmari just kept watch of the door to the actual Chamber of Fayth.

"So, uh, what's in there, anyways?" asked Tidus.

"The Fayth," replied Wakka and Frank at the same time, though Frank added a "duh" to the end of his sentence.

Tidus scratched the back of his head, "Oh yeah, that thing. Right..."

Lulu took pity on him and explained, "The Fayth are people who gave their lives fighting Sin. Yevon took their willing souls and sealed them into statues. And when a summoner beckons, the souls of the Fayth emerge and become what we call an Aeon."

"All that in that room? S-so what's Yuna doing in there?"

"She prays to the Fayth with all her heart for a way to defeat Sin," replied Wakka. Not long after that, Yuna emerged, tired, from the Chamber and fell to her knees, Wakka, Lulu, and Kihmari all rushing to help her.

Frank explained the reasoning behind his and Tidus's presence to the exhausted summoner and they made their way out of the Temple with an elevator platform within the Chamber itself. Frank bowed to Yuna before he left to meet up with the rest of the Vanguard, who were waiting for him in Kilika. As he descended the steps, he heard a scream from the Temple, and facepalmed.

Not long after meeting up with Ryan and company and boarding the boat to Luca, which was named the S.S. Winno, Yuna and her Guardians joined them as well. Not long after that, the ship left port for Luca.


	5. SS Winno and Luca

The Rift-torn

Chapter 4: SS Winno and Luca

World: Final Fantasy X

Night had fallen on the SS Winno, and the number people on the deck had dwindled down to Yuna, her guardians, Frank, Joe, Matt, a couple of the Luca Goers, and one or two stragglers. Ryan and Shawna had already turned in for the night, along with a majority of the passengers.

As Joe sat near the middle of the boat, keeping his distance from the water, and looked up at the night sky. After a few minutes, Tidus, who had been below deck with the Aurochs, came up in time to see Joe pull out a mysterious object. It was about the size of his hand and black in colour, with some writing on it he couldn't quite make out. And then, Joe flipped it open. The inside of the thing was just as black as the rest, though it seemed two sections were rather shiny, and the bottom part had some buttons on it.

Coming closer, Tidus saw him push on button near the bottom and the shiny parts lit up bright white, and though Joe seemed to know what he was doing, he winced and looked away for a moment. He then tapped the bottom section and grimaced.

"What's up?" Tidus asked.

"Oh, hey," said Joe, looking up. "I was going to do some double-checking to see if the rift we've been hunting for was nearby, but it looks like my 3DS is getting low on power again."

"3DS?"

"Just a sec." Joe looked around the deck until he spotted Frank on the upper level, not far from where Wakka and Lulu were sitting. Tidus followed him up the stairs to find out what in the world he was talking about, though he tried hard not to listen in on Lulu and Wakka, who were having their own conversation. About him. That made it even harder to not listen to the conversation three feet away.

Joe approached Frank and held out his "3DS." "Hey, bro. Cassul's getting a bit low on power again. Mind charging him up?"

Frank, who had been sipping something, Tidus couldn't quite tell what, glanced up at the device. "Yeah, sure." He placed one of his fingers on a point Tidus couldn't quite see and muttered "Thunder," a brief spark appearing before the red light by Joe's hand turned blue, an orange light glowing briefly beside it.

"Thanks."

"Looking for a 'net connection again?"

"You never know, I mean, I'm sure the rift in Ryan's house wasn't there before we found it."

"Um, what?" asked a confused Tidus.

"Oh, uh," Joe stammered.

"It's a bit of a long story. We'll tell you later," said Frank, before returning to his drink.

Joe had turned to the sea and resumed tapping on the bottom screen, Tidus noticed the yellow light blinking and watched as Joe started moving the device around, occasionally tapping it again. In the silence, it was even harder not to overhear Lulu and Wakka's chat about him. Already he had caught the idea that Lulu, Miss Frigid Glare, actually _agreed_ that he should be one of Yuna's Guardians, and that she was going to, essentially, force Wakka to tell him.

"Be discreet," Lulu whispered.

"I know, its his decision... He doesn't like his father?" Wakka whispered back. Tidus supposed he should be thankful that their backs were turned to him and the two members of the Vanguard, so they didn't really notice them any, but at the moment, he just wanted to hear what his friend and Lulu were talking about.

"Apparently, he told Yuna as much."

"Hating your own father, huh? Sounds like a luxury to me. I don't even remember my parents." Wakka sighed, then looked up at the sky. "Can't say how I feel about 'em."

Lulu glanced in the other direction, down at the deck where Yuna stood. "I...I was five then, so I remember mine a little."

Wakka slammed his fist on the railing of the balcony. "Dammit! Sin just takes everything away from us."

Tidus practically hid behind Joe as the two turned to head back to the lower deck, not wanting them to know that he had been listening in. Once they were gone, Joe sighed and held the button that had turned his "3DS" on until it turned off again.

"Nothing. Not that I should have expected something after we've searched so much of the ocean so often." Joe then turned to Tidus. "Now, I believe that I owe you an explanation as to what I was doing, right?"

"Uh, yeah..." Tidus shook himself, still slightly distracted by the conversation he had overheard.

"Well, it's simple to explain. Not so simple for most to believe. But, I think with your background, you should be able to." Joe took a deep breath, steeling himself. "None of the Vanguard are from Spira. All five of us are from an alternate universe, brought here by a rift we found one day."

"An alternate universe, huh? And I'm supposed to be able to believe that?"

"You're from Zanarkand, a place that's been in ruins for a thousand years," said Frank. "And you don't look a thousand years old to me."

"...Good point."

"Anyways, my 3DS, " continued Joe, holding up said device, "can connect with what's called the 'internet' back in our world, but the only place I've managed it so far is in or near Bevelle, where we first arrived in Spira. And we've exhausted every possible place in Bevelle for the way home."

"And we do mean _every_ place," Frank added. "We've delved into areas of Bevelle that not even the Maesters likely know anything about. Like the Via Infinito." Joe shuddered. "Though, we didn't really explore the place past the first thirty floors."

"You'd think that we'd be more willing to enter the Omega Dungeon after having to face down those Tonberries, but noooo..." Shaking his head, Joe returned to the original topic. "So, in essence, what I'm trying to do with my 3DS, which I've named Cassul, by the by, is find an internet connection somewhere outside the Bevelle area."

"Because that would mean you'd found another rift, and the way home," Tidus nodded in understanding.

"Right. And now you know a bit of our story. I'll have to ask you to keep it secret for a while, though. I realize not many people would believe you, but if word got back to the Maesters of Yevon, things could turn out badly for us."

"At the moment, we're just not allowed to seek shelter at the temples, nor can we enter Bevelle proper without being executed," Frank said. "And that's just for turning back after getting through Mount Gagazet. Who knows what they'd do if they found out about alternate realities."

"I guess I can see your point. I suppose that's also why you told me not to mention my being from Zanarkand... Whoops."

"Whoops?" Joe remarked back.

"I, uh, already kinda told Wakka and Yuna about it..."

"Well, that's alright. If you want them to accept you as one of them, you'll need to be open with them. I figure we'll have some confessing of our own to do soon."

"About the other world thing, yeah... Um, what did you mean that you named your 3DS-thingy 'Cassul?'"

"Ah, I tend to name a lot of my tech, though I've only got Cassul with me. I mean, my computer's name is Kurogane, my convertible's name is Baron Humbert Von Gikkigen, and my PSP is named Jackal. It's just something I do. But anyways, I think you should go talk to Yuna a bit, alright? I'm feeling a bit tired, and I'm ready to go to bed."

"Right. 'Night guys! See you in the morning!" Frank and Joe waved him off and headed below to the Vanguard men's shared cabin.

The next day, the SS Winno pulled into port at Luca, and everyone who was on board was preparing to disembark.

Despite the tumult, the Vanguard remained below deck as they heard Bobba and Jimma, the normal announcers for Blitzball, announce the entrance of the Besaid Aurochs and the Luca Goers, followed by Tidus's impassioned speech of defiance to the Auroch's losing streak.

They had been hoping to avoid the publicity of their arrival, because almost everyone made a big deal out of them, and depending on the person, the reactions could be either good or bad. Unfortunately, they didn't quite wait long enough.

"And here they are! After only a few weeks since their last concert, a yearly event, the Vanguard have returned to Luca!" cried Jimma.

"That's right, Jimma, and for those poor, sorry few that don't know them, the Vanguard are a group of musicians and warriors that tour the world and lift people's spirits with their songs!" Bobba agreed.

Frank palmed his face. "Great. And now our fans won't leave us alone. How're we supposed to get stuff done when we're followed by a horde of ravenous fangirls?"

"And fanboys," Shawna added.

"And fanboys."

Ryan hummed thoughtfully. "We'll have to wait for Seymour and Mika to arrive. That should distract everyone enough to let us rendezvous with the _Centigrade_ at Dock... Er, what dock are they at?" He looked at Joe, who wound his way through the crowd, handing out pre-signed band photos to keep some of the fans at bay before making his way back.

"According to the schedule over there, the _Centigrade_ is due to arrive at Dock 4 in ten minutes, carrying the Al Bhed Psyches. Knowing Captain Choi, however, I'd say we'll have about five minutes before then to get on board and change." Just then, as if on cue, the crowd started murmuring about the arrival of the Maester's ship at Dock 3 and the majority of them moved off.

The Vanguard moved with them until the crowd neared the next dock, quickly moving to the dock after that.

Wakka and the Aurochs were in the Blitzball arena, staring down the Al Bhed Psyches. Wakka was rather annoyed that Tidus hadn't made it back to the locker room before the game started, but they'd have to do their best.

The game was intense. The Psyches, save one, were as that one Forsaken had claimed: "new." They played differently than the Psyches had every year before, though they were good enough that at the half, the game was tied at one point each.

And that's when the news came, by way of a non-player Al Bhed: Yuna had been kidnapped, and the ransom was the game. After the messenger left, Lulu told Wakka that she would find Tidus and Kihmari and assist them in finding Yuna. All he had to do was stall.

Another big surprise came just as the game re-started. The Psyches' new players seemed to be glaring at the old player, and the captain called an immediate time-out to speak with Wakka, as captain of the Aurochs, at the top of the arena.

"I apologize for the overzealous actions of our team mate," he said, his voice sounding oddly familiar, if distorted by his mask. "It was not our decision to kidnap your lady summoner. If you wish it, we shall forfeit this game to you."

"You serious?"

"We take Blitzball seriously, just as you do. Something like this is not proper and, win or lose, Zekki and our crew will be punished by our leader."

"Well... Lu said she was going to get help and rescue Lady Yuna herself. So let's just play a good game, ya?"

"Very well. May the best team win." And with that, the two of them shook hands and the game restarted at its previous intensity. And at a minute to go, the Aurochs, surprisingly for all but their most die-hard fans, were ahead by two points, making the score three to one.

And when the buzzer sounded, there was only one point difference. The Aurochs had won their first game in years, at a score of three to two.

After the game was over, the Psyches and Aurochs met in the hallway between their locker rooms, their sixth team mate being led away by several other Al Bhed that had accompanied Tidus, Yuna, Kihmari and Lulu. One of them saluted the Psyches.

"Dra nacd uv dra lnaf ehjumjat fedr dra gethybbehk ryja paah nasyhtat du dra pnek."

"Jano kuut, lybdyeh. Nabund du **Cid** yht mad res tameta draen vyda," replied the captain.

"Oac, cen." The Al Bhed saluted again and walked away.

Yuna looked at the Al Bhed Psyches' captain oddly. "I'm sorry, but did you say 'Cid?'"

"Indeed I did, Lady Yuna. I apologize for this, and the ones responsible for your kidnapping will be judged by Cid himself. By the way," he turned to Wakka and pulled off his goggles and cap, letting his ponytail flop across his back. Joe smiled, "good game, Captain Wakka."

Tidus gaped, "You? You're in the Al Bhed Psyches?"

"They finally decided we were good enough to join half a year ago." The rest of the remaining Psyches removed their headgear, revealing themselves to be the whole of the Vanguard. "'S why you didn't play against us last year."

"Aside from the fact that we, y'know, played against the Goers last year and lost." Wakka grumbled.

"Er, yeah. Except for that. Anyways, you guys have a game to win, right?" Joe chuckled and pointed at Tidus. "Just let this guy be your front man and you'll be good."

Tidus blinked, "Er, thanks."

Ryan put his hand on Joe's shoulder. "Come on. Let's get to our seats."

"Right. See you guys!"

It was a close game between the Aurochs and Goers, who had previously crushed the Ronso Fangs and the Kilika Beasts. When the crowd started chanting for Wakka to come back two minutes into the second half, the game was at three to two in the Goer's favour.

"The final outcome of this momentous Blitzball tournament is four to three!" Shouted Bobba. "It's unbelievable! THE AUROCH'S WIN! This is one for the record books, folks."

"It's definitely something, Bobba, that's for sure. As is policy, anyone who wants to meet with the team can- Wait, what's going on?"

"Fiends have infiltrated the stadium! Sahagin are in the arena itself and the Aurochs are fighting them off!"

The Vanguard rose to their feet and a flash erupted across the seats and the bodies of the panicking audience as their Dress Spheres activated.

Auron, sitting a few seats away, smirked as he sliced through a Drake that was about to breath fire on some of the escaping people, causing it to dissolve into Pyreflies. Tidus and Wakka, showing their athletic ability shot out of the sphere of water and landed right next to him.

"Auron!" Tidus yelled, but, before he could say anything else, a horde of Lupine and aerial Fiends surrounded them. "Whoa!"

"DARKNESS!" A wave of purple-black energy flashed through the Fiends and they all disintegrated into Pyreflies. Tidus looked at the direction they came in to see Joe, coughing a bit.

"How did you do that?"

Joe smiled, some blood on his teeth. "I'm a Dark Knight."

"And what's that mean?"

"It means he specializes in killing himself," said Auron, causing Joe to laugh.

"I'll have to steal that from you sometime, Auron!"

"Actually, I got it from you."

Joe blinked as Ryan cast Cura. "Um, how does that work? This is the first time I've heard it..."

Auron blinked. "Ah, I see. I'm afraid I can't say any more. Time Travel."

Matt turned from where he was slicing apart a few Drakes with his axe, "First Time Travel gets us here, and now Auron? It's getting pretty convoluted."

Shawna handed Ryan a bunch of potions she had Mugged from a few other monsters. "Well, we can't do anything about it, so deal with it."

It was then that Seymour summoned Anima, having her used Pain in rapid succession to destroy all the remaining Fiends in the area. The people who still hadn't made it out of the stadium began to cheer, as Seymour nodded in thanks.

After the award ceremony, in which Wakka, as current captain of the Besaid Aurochs, was given the Blitzball Tournament Champion Trophy, Wakka had announced to the others that he was leaving Blitzball to join Yuna on her pilgrimage. The other players protested, as he had a few wounds from the Sahagin that had attacked the arena itself, but he waved them off.

Yuna stood by the docks with her Guardians, the Vanguard, Auron, and Tidus as Wakka approached.

"Are you sure you want to leave like that?" she asked.

"Never liked long goodbyes anyways," he answered. "Sorry to keep you waiting, I had to keep my promises, ya? From here on out, I'm your full-time Guardian!"

Yuna smiled lightly. "Welcome back, Sir Wakka. Good to have you with us."

"It's good to be back." Wakka looked around. "Any news on what happened?"

"Not really," said Lulu. "We don't know where the Fiends came from. Maester Mika is safe, thanks to Maester Seymour. That's all we know."

"I have a theory," said Frank, pointing dramatically into the air. "And I guarantee it's not gonna make you guys like me very much!"

Yuna looked to him curiously. "What's your theory?" Lulu hissed at her to not encourage the forsaken one.

"The Guado." Frank's eyes glowed a brighter yellow under his Black Mage hat. "They have the ability to call Fiends to wherever, and I'm thinking they did it so Seymour-"

"_Maester_ Seymour," Lulu hissed.

"_Seymour_," Frank chirped back, "could look heroic in the eyes of the people by saving the day."

Ryan nodded. "I know it is not proper to speak of a Maester in such a way, but I felt no good intentions from him this day."

"Nice rhyme," muttered Joe.

"Thank you. Anyways, I do not know how a Summoner could use an Aeon in such obvious agony and smile as he did the whole while. I know that, for me, when one of my Aeons gets wounded, I feel its pain."

Lulu simply sighed, shaking her head, before deciding to completely ignore the Vanguard's presence, like Wakka seemed to be doing. "Yuna, we should prepare to leave. Mi'ihen Highroad is not far from here."

"Right," Yuna turned to the Vanguard herself. "Thank you for your assistance. I hope I get to see you again sometime."

"It was our pleasure, Lady Yuna. And I'm certain you will see us again," Ryan said back, bowing. The whole of the Vanguard performed the traditional bow of the Yevon religion with him, and waved as Yuna, Lulu, Kihmari, and Wakka walked off.

As they left, Auron and Tidus arrived, approaching from the area of the docks. Auron turned to look at the assembled Vanguard.

"We are going to offer our services to Lady Yuna as Guardians. What are your intentions now?" Ryan smiled as he replied.

"We aim to be her Vanguard."

"A Summoner acting as another Summoner's Guardian? It is highly unprecedented."

"I know."

"The trouble I foresee," said Shawna, "is Lulu and Wakka's reaction of Yuna being guarded by the 'Forsaken.'"

Auron smirked confidently. "Time travel. I can easily vouch for your true character."

"So, when did you meet us later?" asked Joe. "No major spoilers, of course, but I wonder about how it works out."

Auron thought for a moment before turning to Tidus. "Go on ahead. We will catch up." The boy looked as though he wanted to protest, but went on ahead anyways. Auron then replied to the question. "I did not go straight to the Dream Zanarkand when Yunalesca killed me. Neither did I go to the Farplane. I believed that what I had done, leading my friends to their deaths as I had, to be the greatest crime.

"It was there, in that afterlife, that I met you for the first time. You were still alive, all of you, but at this point I shall say no more until the end of this Pilgrimage"

Everyone blinked at Auron's little info dump.

"That was... a bit more than I was expecting..." Joe said. "I was just expecting a place, not the how."

Matt snorted in amusement. "We actually got everything _but_ the where and when. How's that for non-spoilery?"

Auron turned to leave. "We've used up enough time. Let's-"

"HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!" A highly obnoxious laugh echoed through the area.

Auron stopped dead in his tracks. "What."

"Oh, God," Frank moaned, burying his shadowed face in his hands. "I completely forgot about the MOST AWKWARD SCENE IN THE WORLD!"

"Let's just-" Joe shuddered as the "laughter" continued. "Let's just get up there and stop it."

We let Auron lead the group as the Vanguard approached Tidus and Yuna, who were now laughing normally. Wakka noticed them first and he pointed Auron out to Yuna.

"Sir Auron!" she smiled.

Auron nodded. "I wish to offer my services as a Guardian. Do you accept?"

"I already told them about your offer, Auron," Tidus said. "And I don't think they'll turn you down."

"He's right, Sir Auron," Yuna said. "But I am curious as to why you would want to."

"I promised Braska," Auron stated simply.

Lulu looked over Aurons shoulder at the Vanguard. "And what business do you have here?"

Ryan stepped forward and all the Vanguard bowed. "We wish to offer our services alongside Auron's as your Guardians."

If it wasn't for the bustling of people in the nearby city, a pin could have been heard.

Lulu was _livid_. "WHAT? How dare you! Do you want Yuna to be ostracised like you? To be cast out and never allowed to visit a Temple again?"

Auron stood in front of the Vanguard himself. "They are some of the best people I've ever met. Their presence will only help Yuna on her pilgrimage."

"You're... You're defending them, Sir Auron?"

"Yes."

That seemed to stop Lulu's tirade in its tracks. "But... Why?"

"They once saved my life. I owe them."

Ryan stood. "If you do not wish to decide now, we shall still accompany you to Djose Temple. After that, we'll probably split up unless you hire us on."

Yuna nodded uncertainly, "Y-yes... I would like some time to think this over..."

And with that, they walked onto the Mi'ihen Highroad, only half the group knowing about the operation ahead.


End file.
